High school wrestling: Perry's Billy Miller wins third district title

ALLIANCE – When Perry heavyweight Billy Miller competed at the district tournament for the first time as a freshman in 2011, he had only been wrestling for a year.
He knew classmates like Collin Dees, Aaran Gessic and Alec Schenk were top-notch and never thought he’d be held in as high regard.
On Feb. 22, in a career that will go down as the Pirates’ best to date, Miller won his third Division II district championship in a 4-2 decision over University’s Kostas Parrish.
Miller knew success on the football field growing up, and now the undefeated senior is going for his second state wrestling title next week.
“In middle school, it was those three guys (Dees, Gessic and Schenk) that were the toughest in the school,” Miller said. “I knew that. I was just a football player. And seeing all the success that they had, I just wanted to join them. It’s been an honor to wrestle with these kids.”
Perry (144 1/2 points) finished in second place behind Akron St.-Vincent St. Mary (165 1/2). The Pirates, second at districts a year ago, too, tied a team record with six state qualifiers.
Gessic took first at 132 pounds, while Dees (120) and Schenk (182) each lost close decisions to finish in second.
Dees was taken down in the final seconds against Canfield’s Korey Frost, losing, 3-1. Schenk, in a rematch of the Pin City finals against defending state champ Aaron Adkins of SVSM, couldn’t break loose of a super-glue grip late, losing, 5-4.
Kyle Kremiller (195) took third and 106-pounder Brady Toth took fourth to match the Pirates’ record for state qualifiers from 2012.
“I’ve never been part of a team that’s been so close,” Miller said. “Every one of these kids is tough. They love the work. It’s a little sad that it’s my last year. I wish we could have won it today, but it was still a great tournament for everybody.”
Of the 14 title matches in Alliance, three were rematches from the sectional finals. Miller beat Parrish, 4-1, last week, and Harvey senior Alonzo Turner (160) pinned Lake Catholic’s Matt Ludwig.
At districts, Turner, trailing Ludwig, 3-2, pinned the junior for the second week in a row to take first again.
“I knew I had to score, so I kept shooting,” Turner said. “(The pin) kind of just came to me. I wasn’t really looking for it. I didn’t plan it like that. This puts me in a good position to win a few more matches next week”
Turner was a state qualifier two years ago and an alternate in 2013. He lost to Ludwig in the finals of the Solon Comet Classic to begin this season but now carries a 3-1 career record against the junior.
“I had a lot of pizza before Solon,” Turner said. “That’s all I will say about that.”
In a another rematch of last week’s sectional finals, Lake Catholic’s defending 126-pound district and state champ Anthony Tutolo earned a 13-4 major decision over University’s Walker Chieffe.
Tutolo’s district bracket included four state placers last year. SVSM’s Mike Rix took third in Alliance a year ago and lost to Tutolo in the state title match. Chieffe, a state qualifier last season, was the next most decorated wrestler in the bracket.
“Last year was kind of crazy with all of the great competitors,” Tutolo said. “This year, my mentality is that this is my time. I’m a senior, and this should be mine. Everything is going the way I wanted so far.”
Kaz Struna (170) took second for the Cougars, getting taken down by Poland Seminary’s Mike Audi in the final seconds of the third period in a 3-1 decision.
Lake’s Brad Taton (120), who has been battling an injury late in the season, will be an alternate after placing at the state tournament as a sophomore and junior. Taking sixth in Alliance were West Geauga’s Anthony Vetturini (138) and Perry 220-pounder Brandon Truhn.